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Quinn will ‘honor’ verdict in Blagojevich trial

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn calls the jury system “really healthy” for democracy as a verdict is set to be read in the corruption trial of his ousted predecessor, Rod Blagojevich.

Quinn’s comments came Monday just hours before a federal jury was set to announce its verdict in the Blagojevich retrial. Jurors told the judge they’ve reached a verdict on 18 of the 20 counts against him.

Blagojevich has denied wrongdoing, including accusations that tried to sell or trade President Barack Obama’s old U.S. Senate seat. The jury in Blagojevich’s first trial deadlocked on all but one count of lying to the FBI.

Quinn used to be lieutenant governor, and he replaced Blagojevich when he was impeached in January 2009 after being arrested on federal corruption charges.

A timeline of Blagojevich career, legal battles

Other Illinois politicians who faced legal trouble